Time of the Wolf
by May Seward
Summary: Ianto Jones dies in Thames House. Then he wakes up. Before he can find Jack and Gwen, Ianto gets whisked away by a regeneration of the Doctor he's never met before, who seems to be working under the orders of a nameless thing with no more information than a list of names: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, River Song, Bad Wolf (Original title: "Reditum Malo Lupo")
1. Prologue

19809 years in the future...

'What have you done?'

The Bad Wolf looked at the Time Lord, curiously. She didn't just see his face any more. So, so many faces. Some old, some young, but all him. In that moment, she witnessed every moment of his life from birth to death and the Bad Wolf knew what to do.

'I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me.'

'You looked into the time vortex, Rose, nobody is supposed to see that!' Rose. The Bad Wolf liked that name. Her human side, her humanity came from the girl called Rose.

Something interrupted the Bad Wolf's musings. 'This is the abomination!'

Another: 'Exterminate!'

An insignificant energy beam was shot towards the Bad Wolf. She raised a hand and the beam halted. Interesting... She could sense the Time Lord's shock and surprise and found it amusing.

'I am the Bad Wolf,' she explained. 'I create myself. I take the words,' she looked above her, where her name was written in large letters on the wall. She could feel them, feel their meaning like she could feel the passage of time. 'I scatter them, in time and space.' If she could manipulate the passage of time, the Bad Wolf could manipulate the meaning of the words, too. A message for Rose Tyler - for her. 'A message, to lead myself here.'

The Time Lord was afraid. 'Rose, you've got to stop this, you've got to stop this now! You've the entire vortex running through you're head, you're gonna burn!'

He was right, of course. The Doctor was almost always right. His concern for her awakened Rose Tyler, the human part of the Bad Wolf. Almost as if another person was feeling it, she could sense the love and concern flow from the Bad Wolf's twin consciousness. 'I want you safe, my Doctor,' the Bad Wolf said, but it was Rose Tyler talking. 'Protected from the false God.'

'You cannot hurt me,' that insignificant life form, the Dalek Emperor spoke. The one who called himself the God of All Daleks. The Bad Wolf nearly laughed at their words: 'I am immortal.'

'You are tiny,' the Bad Wolf said. Images flashed in front of her mind's eye. She was pleased to see the number was very short. 'I can see the whole of time and space, every single atom of your existence, and I divide them.' A thought was all it took. The Bad Wolf found she could manipulate matter, too. The Daleks watching her dispersed in a shimmer of golden dust. 'Everything must come to dust,' she said mournfully. 'All things. Everything dies. The Time War ends.'

'I will not die!' the False God was clinging to hope and denial, it's insane humanity springing to the surface. 'I cannot di-i-i-ie!' It's disexistence was elementary to the Bad Wolf. She could do anything. The possibilities were endless, but her time was running out.

'Rose, you've done it, now stop.' It was the Time Lord. Rose Tyler's Doctor. The reason for her existence. 'Just let go.'

Rose's consciousness surfaced again, her human mind spinning with the same possibilities as the Bad Wolf. 'How can I let go of this?'

She could feel Rose searching for something using their new senses. The Bad Wolf found it first, and knew what Rose wanted. An act of creation to balance the destruction she had wrought. Rose focused on one life, the Bad Wolf, taking in her infinite view of the universe, focused on another.

' _I bring life.'_

Simultaneously, and 19809 years apart, Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones both gasped their way back to life.


	2. Chapter 1: Good Morning, Mr Jones

Chapter 1: Good Morning, Mr Jones

In the beginning, there was nothing. Or was it the end? Ianto only experienced the nothingness long enough to register the question had entered his head. His memories were jumbled. He had the suspicion it had been the end. The end of his life, but then why did it feel so much like the beginning?

His awareness seemed to be slowly extending beyond his own mind. He had hands, legs, feet, a face, a torso... And he wasn't breathing.

As soon as the realisation hit him, he sucked in a deep, gasping breath and the world came rushing back.

The first thing he felt was something light and soft covering his face. The air surrounding him felt thick and close. His newly beating heart began to race. He felt like he was slowly suffocating. The thing covering him tickled and scratched at his nose. He tried to see what it was, but his eyes were closed. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and they were assaulted by bright red light.

The suddenness of it shocked him and he tried to take in another gasping breath, but the cloth, because he was rapidly realising that was what it was, was restricting his breathing. In a panic, he tried to flail his arms. A hand twitched and then he could move! He sat bolt upright and the red cloth pooled at his waist as he took deep, calming breaths. He looked around and choked back a sob.

He was in what appeared to be a school gym. Afternoon light filtered through the high windows, casting soft shadows over the bodies that took up the majority of the space in orderly rows. They were all covered by the same red shrouds, turned to faceless shapes. Until a minute ago, Ianto Jones had been one of them.

Images and feelings hit him, so many at once that he cried out. Lying in Jack's arms, Jack's face above him as he began to lose consciousness. Jack sobbing, screaming at the tank in Thames house. He takes it back, just don't kill him. Not him, he'd said as Ianto lay, dying, in his arms. He remembered how Jack's desperation had broken his own heart, the fear of what Jack would do if he died right then, outweighing the fear of dying itself. It hurt, the wave of emotions he was assaulted with. It felt like a physical blow to his chest.

Footsteps. Heavy boots hitting linoleum floors. Military. Ianto leapt to his feet, thoughts returning to the problems at hand. The act of standing sent the world spinning for a second before he shook off the dizziness. The doors opened as his eyes found them, and he tried to compose himself.

A convoy of black-clad soldiers in red berets pushing empty gurneys filed into the room. It took all of two seconds for them to notice him.

'Who the hell are you?' one asked.

'Uh...' Ianto said intelligently. His voice was hoarse. 'I was looking for someone. He was in Thames House when... I was told he was dead.'

'This building was secure,' another soldier said suspiciously.

Ianto shrugged. 'Obviously not,' he said. The soldier glared at him, but the first took over.

'Does your loved one have a name?' he asked.

'Jack Harkness,' Ianto replied immediately. 'He was with Torchwood.'

The UNIT soldier shook his head. 'Sorry, sir. Captain Harkness has left the building. Ask at the Home Office. I heard they had him in custody. Who knows what they'll do with him now.'

'Why?' Ianto asked.

'Haven't you heard?' the soldier sounded incredulous. 'The 456 disappeared. Its over.'

Later, another UNIT soldier came in. A woman, this time. She was young, with dark skin, a white lab coat and a wedding band on her finger. The other soldiers nodded respectfully as she passed, watching them load the bodies onto the gurneys.

She had to see for herself. 13 and 14D, she had been told by the soldier on duty. The number allocations of the bodies of Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones. She nearly ran down row D, scanning numbers as she went. 10... 11... 12... Thirteen was empty. That must have been where Jack was. He must have resurrected by now. Dreadfully, her gaze shifted to take in Ianto's body and found... the site was empty. There was nothing but a haphazardly discarded pile of red cloth where the corpse 14D had been.

'You, there!' she shouted to the anonymous UNIT soldier loading a gurney. 'Has anyone moved these bodies here?'

The soldier shook his head. 'No, Ma'am. We're only halfway through row B, Ma'am.'

'So where is Ianto Jones?' she asked.

'Perhaps he's been claimed, Ma'am,' the soldier shrugged. 'You know what those Torchwood folks are like. Not that it'll do those poor sods any good now.'

'Was he taken away with Harkness and Cooper?' she asked. One of the other soldiers shook their heads.

'No, ma'am. I showed Cooper to the bodies myself. She and Harkness left Jones here, to be taken back to his family with the others. She said Torchwood protocols on deceased operatives was null and void now, since their headquarters blew up. Nowhere to keep him, see? So they allowed him to be taken through the official channels, eventually released to his family. Besides, technically, they were under arrest. Custody of the Home Office.'

'So where is he?'

'I could check with control to see if there have been any special cases,' the soldier offered.

Martha Jones nodded. 'Good. You do that.'

The soldier spoke into his radio.

Martha looked back at the pile of cloth. 'What happened to you, Ianto?' she muttered.

'Ma'am?' the soldier asked. Martha looked up.

'Yes?'

'We have a problem,' he said gravely. 'There have been no claims, check-outs or visitors of any bodies since that Torchwood lot came through. Orders from on high.'

'Wait a minute,' another soldier piped up. 'Ma'am, there was a bloke in here earlier. We were just evacuating the first row of bodies. We came in and he was there. Said he was looking for a Jack Harkness. Said he'd heard he was dead. I couldn't figure how he got in, Ma'am. I know a school gymnasium isn't the most secure of places, but it was odd.'

Martha advanced on him. 'Odd how?'

'Well, he was in a suit, right? But it wasn't official like. It was kinda grubby and he didn't have a jacket. And he was kinda banged up, you know? A bloody cut on his cheek and everything.'

'Yeah, I saw him too,' said yet another soldier.

'And you didn't think to check this with control?' Martha asked incredulously.

'No, Ma'am, we're very sorry, Ma'am. Only, he left once we told him Harkness wasn't here. He didn't seem to know what was happening. I thought of calling someone in to check him over, but he scarpered. Disappeared round a corner.'

'We chase after him, o'course,' said the first soldier. 'But he'd gone and wasn't in any way a threat. Just a confused local. After everything, it was to be expected I figured.'

'Describe him to me. Every single thing you can remember,' Martha ordered. 'What did he look like?'

One of the soldiers shrugged. ''bout six foot. Solid bloke. Dark hair, blue eyes.'

'And he was welsh, ma'am,' the other soldier said. 'Well, had a welsh accent anyway.'

'Oh, my god,' she breathed. 'Listen. This is very important. Had every corpse here been declared dead?'

'Of course, ma'am,' a soldier replied. 'A doctor observed each of them as they were removed from Thames House. There were no survivors except for Mr Dekker. But he had a hazmat suit.'

'Are you sure?' Martha asked. 'Absolutely certain?'

'I could check if you like, ma'am. If I could ask, what is this about?'

'That man you saw earlier,' Martha said, and a grin began to spread across her face. 'I think he got here in a body bag.'


	3. Chapter 2: For the Record

Chapter 2: For the Record

The Torchwood 1 Warehouse was deserted. Ianto's footsteps echoed off the concrete floor, the deafening echo that only comes from being the only living thing in a large space. It took less than five minutes to scout out the entire space. Rhys' makeshift kitchen was empty and tidied away. A single laptop was left at Gwen's station, still plugged into the electricity they had managed to rig up. It's screen wasn't even closed. Ianto's stomach clenched at the thought of what had happened to force her to leave it behind when it could have been useful.

He wasn't sure why he was surprised that Rhys' painted HUB2 was still spread across one wall. It was a reminder that he was alone and needed to find the others. Where would they go? What would they have done after he died? Jack... He would have died of the virus too, wouldn't he? Ianto knew more about Jack's deaths than most - he had gotten his lover to talk about his long life every now and then - but still, he wasn't sure. Couldn't be sure about anything that had happened from the time he had died until the time he had woken up at the school except that they had apparently won.

Information. He needed information. Find what's going on, and perhaps find Jack and Gwen and Rhys. He turned back to Gwen's ramshackle station and sat down in front of her laptop. Connect to the Torchwood server, then find any mention of Jack Harkness or Gwen Cooper. It was as good a plan as any he could think of.

Home office records, NATO, UNIT, MI5... There wasn't much chatter about his missing friends that had originated in the last twenty four hours. Ianto found Jack had been sprung from prison that morning, by an Agent Victoria Johnson. Odd. Ianto had thought Johnson was the agent assigned to take out Torchwood 3. What had happened while he had been dead? In the Home office records, he found the orders to fly Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams back to Cardiff to inform Rhiannon Davies of the death of her brother.

'Oh, god...' Rhiannon and Johnny thought he was dead. Everyone thought he was dead. There had to be some way of telling them he was okay. First he had to find them. He had no phone, no money and no identification. There was no way he could call them and let them know he was alright.

The screen in front of him flickered off for a moment. Ianto sat back in surprise. The image returned; this time a video image of someone Ianto recognised from watching the meetings between John Frobisher and the 456. Bridget Spears. Looking into a public bathroom mirror.

'Is anyone listening?' she asked in the augmented mechanical voice of the lip-reading software. 'Does anyone still care?'

She thinks she is talking to Torchwood. Ianto took a deep breath. With Jack AWOL and Gwen in Cardiff with his sister, Ianto figured he _was_ Torchwood.

 **We are listening, Bridget** , he typed. He registered her harsh gaze soften ever so slightly in surprise. This was a woman who wouldn't be going to Torchwood without good reason. Either this was a cry for help - and if so, why now, after it is all (apparently) over? Or she had a plan. **What is your plan?** he asked. Bridget Spears nodded on his computer screen.

'Mr Green killed John Frobisher,' she said. He couldn't hear the expression in it, but she looked sad. 'You didn't send the recordings of the emergency meetings. I'd like to give you another opportunity.'

 **What do you propose?** Ianto asked. John Frobisher was dead, was he? Ianto wasn't sure how he felt about that. Frobisher had ordered the execution of Jack and the others from 1965, but in effect, he was just a middleman, a nobody.

'The cabinet meeting is about to wrap up,' Bridget told him. 'Mr Green will be feeling very pleased with himself. I'm sure he will offer plenty of reason for the country to doubt his loyalty to his office if they could only hear him say it.'

 **Understood. Recording when you are ready.**

'Thank you,' Bridget said. 'And, Torchwood? I'm sorry for the death of your colleague, Ianto Jones. There has been too much death over the past five days.'

This was it. A way to get a message to Jack, if he could get Bridget Spears to make contact with Jack. Something held him back. Some nagging feeling. Instead, he typed, **Thank you, Bridget. I'm sorry for John Frobisher, too. Lets do this.**

Bridget nodded and left the bathroom. Ianto watched her move down corridors and up stairs and then she was walking through the door to the nearly deserted conference room. It was nearly empty now, he noticed. Only two or three people still remained, including the Prime Minister and another politician, Denise Riley.

Ianto watched the whole scene unfold; the Prime Minister's callous cheerfulness at how the whole affair had gone down made him fume. Denise's shock. He couldn't hear what Bridget said, but the Prime Minister's reaction told him enough. Whatever she was saying, Ianto found himself agreeing.

When it was all over, Ianto was nearly speechless, but felt strangely satisfied. Mr Green wouldn't be Prime Minister for much longer, he figured.

 **Excellent work, Bridget. Torchwood will take it from here.**

Bridget Spears walked out of the room and the transmission went dead. Ianto allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He leaned back in his chair and rested locked his hands behind his head. Well, that was one thing put right, he thought.

He saved the recording with the others. The public needed to know about this. He chose the perfect place, a conspiracy forum with anonymous posting. Releasing the files took less than five minutes.

Once that was done, Ianto's attention turned back to another pressing problem. Finding Jack. He had probably been taken to a base Agent Johnson had operated out of. Unfortunately, Johnson was sort of a ghost operative. There weren't many records of her. Finding her would take time.

The other option was to contact Gwen and his sister. Gwen would be able to contact Jack. But they were in Wales and he didn't have money for a payphone. He was just considering trying to beg, borrow or steal a phone to call his sister when he was interrupted by a familiar sound. He stood in shock and turned. Every Torchwood One operative knew it. It was part of basic training. That wheezing, groaning sound that only heralded one thing: a TARDIS materialisation. The sound echoed through the warehouse. An unnatural wind lifted the stray leaves that had been blown in over the years and tousled his hair. A blue box faded in and out of view before finally settling, very solid and less than five feet from where he was standing.

Ianto was almost too stunned to move when the door opened.


	4. Chapter 3: Warehouse Call

Chapter 2: Doctor, Doctor

'Ianto Jones. Glad to see you're not dead. But, uh, would you mind stepping inside?'

The man wasn't one Ianto recognised, but there was only one possible person it could be: the Doctor. He looked young. Younger, than the regeneration Ianto had had brief dealings with when the Daleks stole planet Earth.

'Take me to Jack,' Ianto demanded, dispensing with the pleasantries. 'I want to find him.'

'Okay, I will,' the Doctor said. 'But you have to come aboard.'

Ianto had to admit, that made sense. 'No detours,' Ianto warned, but did as he was told. 'I can't have everyone thinking I'm dead.'

He had heard stories of the Doctor's space-and-time-ship. Bigger on the inside was a phrase often associated with it, but Ianto had never seen it before. The console room was a huge cavernous space, all bronze and glass with a huge jade coloured glass column raised in centre surrounded by a dashboard console with every button, lever and control imaginable - plus quite a few more. It was majestic and awesome in the truest sense of the word. Ianto couldn't help but gape. Still, he was always told he was a stubborn, single-minded person when it came down to it, and exploring the Doctor's time machine was much lower on the priority list than finding Jack Harkness.

The Doctor had snapped the doors shut (literally, with a snap of his fingers!) and hurried to the console. He began pressing buttons and pulling levers and twisting knobs in a frenzy of activity. He whirled about the full circle with all the grace of a dancer with a broken leg, flailing limbs and near-trips, but still slightly hypnotic, like his impossible machine.

Ianto took the moment to size up the relative stranger. He definitely looked younger, but that wasn't any kind of indicator when it came to Time Lords, Ianto knew. He wore a strange combination of tweed coat, bowtie, suspenders and black skinny jeans. He was skinny, like the regeneration he had met before, but more childlike in his appearance, all gangly, like a foal who hadn't quite grown into their arms and legs yet. It was a bizarre picture.

'Where's Jack?' Ianto demanded as the Tardis gave a shudder and he was thrown to the glass floor. He scrambled to his feet. 'And where were you?' Ianto asked, yelling over the noise as anger began to build. This man could have prevented so much of what had happened during the last five days.

'168 hours!' the Doctor yelled, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees and smacking a dial with the flat of his hand.

'What?' Ianto yelled.

'The Mercatorians created a time lock for 168 hours leading up to and including their invasion of Earth. The time lock ends at the exact point I arrived. I couldn't help you.'

'But I thought only Time Lords could create time locks!' Ianto said.

'The Mercatorians are a trading species, do you really find it impossible they got their hands, or pincers, really, on the time lord technology necessary to create a time lock?'

'Didn't your people regulate all that, though?' Ianto questioned.

'Of course, but that doesn't mean we kept track of everything. Not all of them were saints, Ianto,' the Doctor sighed. The TARDIS shuddered to a halt. Without waiting to see if Ianto was following, the Doctor ran towards the doors. 'I am so, so sorry.'

Ianto barely heard him, he was looking out of the now open door in shock.

'Where are we?'

Captain Jack Harkness hit the hard floor with a resounding _smack!_

'Oh, yeah?' he asked, springing back onto his feet and raising his fists. 'Is that the best you've got?' he grinned savagely and spat blood onto the ground. A limb the size of an average Earth tree trunk swung towards his head. Jack ducked the obvious move and darted forward, jabbing out savagely with a right hook to his opponent's torso because it was the highest part of it he could defensively reach. Another tree-sized appendage impacted concussively with his side and sent him flying several feet onto the floor. Cheers in several alien languages sounded in his ears, but they were barely audible over his own pulse, fueled by alcohol, recklessness and adrenaline.

'The thing... about me,' he panted and sprinted forwards. 'Is that...' he aimed a vicious swing at the sensitive area between his opponent's legs. 'It doesn't matter... How many times you... put me down... I'll just get back up and come at you again!' He punctuated every pause with another blow, but he was barely making bruises.

Two of his opponent's hands came from above and grabbed him around the chest, picking him up like a child and throwing him onto the bar with a roar, scattering patrons and glasses alike. Jack felt a few ribs crack and knew it was only a matter of time. He grinned. This was why he had picked the fight in the first place.

The greyish-brown smudged alien face of his opponent entered his field of vision. 'Honest miss,' Jack said, wide eyed, raising his hands in a mock surrender. 'I didn't know she was your wife.'

Jack figured it didn't matter if the creature grasped his sarcasm, he was as good as dead under the incensed barrage of blows he was receiving. Good. He was going to go down fighting, but he was going down eventually. The pain made him gasp, but it felt like a ticket to paradise. The worse his injuries were, the longer he'd stay dead for. That was how it worked.

He swung a punch at the alien's head. Seconds left, he thought. The alien returned the gesture with all the force of a freight train.

Jack's skull cracked in seventeen different places with a sickening crunch and his blood stained the glass bar top. It mixed with the exotic spilled drinks of the patrons and painted the bar with all the intense colour of a church window.


	5. Chapter 4: Dream Guy

Chapter 4: Dream Guy

It was raining in the alleyway. Which, in the face of it, seemed impossible because when Ianto looked up, he could see a high vaulted glass ceiling and through it a myriad of stars. They were so close and so numerous it was like nothing he had ever seen.

He stepped outside. The alley was made of metal, Ianto realised.

'Is this a space station? Why are we here?' he demanded.

'Oh, an atmospheric simulation module,' the Doctor said. 'Haven't seen one of those in a while.'

Ianto whirled around. 'What are we doing here?' he yelled. 'Why haven't you taken me to Jack?'

A groan sounded from behind a pile of boxes surrounding what looked like a metallic skip.

The Doctor awkwardly avoided Ianto's gaze. 'I... I, uh, have...' he said. 'And I am so, very sorry.'

Something moved behind the skip. A hand emerged, followed by a head - one Ianto recognized.

'Oh, my god!' Ianto gasped and Jack's head snapped towards him. There was a dazed look in his eyes as their gazes met, which became clearer the longer the gaze held. Realisation was quickly dawning on Ianto, who rushed to help Jack to his feet. Jack didn't move.

'Well this is new,' he said hoarsely. 'Did I really die this time?'

'Oh, god, Jack. What happened to you?' Ianto murmured and took his hand.

'You died Ianto,' Jack told him. 'You died and I did some terrible things and... I couldn't face Gwen or Rhys or Martha and so I left... I travelled to every corner of the planet but I couldn't...' he looked up into Ianto's eyes and a confused crease appeared between his eyebrows. 'You feel so real,' he said and his voice actually choked up. The sound broke Ianto's heart.

'Jack, I _am_ real,' Ianto said. 'It's me, really. I'm here.'

'No, you can't be here,' Jack said. 'You're not even in the right galaxy. I left you behind...' He gripped Ianto tight with both hands and buried his head in Ianto's shoulder.

'How long has it been for you? How long since I died?' Ianto asked, a horrible thought entering his head. Jack didn't change his position and he didn't release his iron grip.

'Eleven months,' he murmured. Ianto spun around to face the Doctor again, Jack still clinging to him.

'You did this!' he yelled. 'You could have just dropped me off at wherever he was when you found me and be done with it!'

That made Jack look up. He let go of Ianto and turned his head.

'Who are you?' he asked. Then his eyes found the TARDIS, standing silently against the rear wall. He staggered back and looked between Ianto and the Doctor. 'I... I don't understand,' he said. 'Why...?'

'I'm so sorry, Jack,' the Doctor apologised. 'I'm sorry that you had to go through this, but I'm working under orders.'

'What does he mean?' Jack asked. He turned to Ianto.

'I told him to take me to you,' Ianto said.

'No, that's not what I mean,' the Doctor began, but Jack interrupted him.

'No, wait!' he cried. Ianto and the Doctor both stayed still and silent. Jack pointed grandly at Ianto. 'Okay, you I understand,' he said. Then he spun irratically, and directed an accusing finger at the Doctor. 'But after what happened on Earth with the 456, why am I hallucinating _you_? Especially a regeneration I've never met before?'

'Jack, I told you-' Ianto began but Jack wasn't hearing it.

'No, shut up! SHUT UP!' he yelled. 'You died!'

'I know.'

'You left me!'

'I know.'

'You went the _one place in the universe_ where I couldn't go!'

'I know.'

'But you DON'T!' Jack yelled, and tears were in his eyes now. 'Because you _can't_ be here! Because I wouldn't be here if you could!'

'Jack-'

'DON'T YOU FUCKING "JACK" ME!' Jack screamed. 'I thought I wanted to see you,' he sobbed. 'But it _hurts_ , Ianto! Because you'll go away again and I will be left here!'

'Jack, just listen!'

'No!'

Ianto wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly, Jack was wrapped up in his arms and he was kissing him passionately. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, attacking each other's lips, consuming each other like starving men, but when Ianto pulled away they were both panting and there was true recognition in his eyes.

'Oh my god,' Jack breathed. 'You're real.'

Ianto allowed himself a quirk of the lips. 'How'd you know?'

'In eleven months, nothing I imagined or remembered felt like that.' Jack looked back at the Doctor, who was fidgeting and staring fixedly on the glass ceiling. 'How is this possible?'

'Well, Captain Jack Harkness,' the Doctor said, looking at them again. He smiled boyishly, but there was something in his eyes that made Ianto uneasy. 'That's why we're here... Sort of. Actually, I don't know why we're here, but Ianto Jones is pretty pleased to see you.'

'What do you mean, you don't know why you're here?' Ianto insisted. And then another question popped into his head. 'How did you know I was alive?'

'Why don't you two come inside and we can talk?' the Doctor suggested. He was smiling again, but the fidgeting motion was back and Ianto wasn't sure he could trust this new Doctor. He was about to refuse, now he had Jack back, but said man spoke before he had the chance.

'Okay,' he said. 'But you have to tell me everything.'


	6. Chapter 5: Old Friends

Chapter 5: Old Friends

Jack did not let go of Ianto's hand once. His eyes never left Ianto for more than a few moments at a time. He drank in the sight of him, the feel of their fingers laced together, the sound of his voice and that delectable welsh accent. He stood close enough that he could breathe in the smell of him, that scent that was so purely _Ianto_ that it never went away, even under layers of dirt or blood or whatever else their job sometimes threw at them. Jack was so distracted that he barely registered what the Doctor was saying.

This version of the Time Lord talked even faster than the previous ones Jack had encountered - and that was saying something. He was explaining something. It sounded like the story of how Jack had been turned immortal.

'Doctor,' Jack interrupted finally. 'Can you please _slow down_?'

'Right. Sorry,' the Doctor said, spinning to face them again. He had been wandering around the TARDIS console, pressing buttons. This regeneration seemed to do that a lot.

'Now, start again,' Jack said patiently. Ianto squeezed his hand.

'Okay, right. Yes. Uh, so. I got a message,' he said. He ran to the console and tapped something above his head. He pulled it around to face Ianto and Jack. The writing was in a language Jack didn't recognise.

'What does it say?' Ianto asked. The Doctor hit himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand.

'Of course, sorry. It's in Old High Gallifreyan.'

'But I thought Gallifreyan was all circles and lines,' Jack said.

'Oh, no, that's _Circular_ Gallifreyan,' the Doctor said. 'Takes ages to write, even more difficult to say and unpronounceable to humans. Sort of like Entish, I suppose. Anyway!' the Doctor typed something on a 21st century Earth style computer keyboard. He turned the screen back to the other two and the writing had changed. Now it was in English.

 _Ianto Jones_

 _Δ23.Ξ76.ω73.Ω93.π12.ϕ64_

 _Jack Harkness_

 _β56.ψ47.Ͷ82.α10.θ93.ρ51_

 _River Song_

 _ς39.Σ27.ͼ84.Θ94.ϖ03.Ϙ29.φ37_

 _Bad Wolf_

'Oh, great,' Ianto said. 'And what does that mean?'

'Well, those are your names,' the Doctor began.

'Yeah, we got that one, thanks,' Ianto interrupted.

'And who or what is River Song?' Jack asked. The Doctor skipped over that question.

'And the numbers and symbols underneath are space-time coordinates.'

'They're very specific space-time coordinates,' Jack noted.

'Yes,' the Doctor agreed.

'Doctor?' Jack asked. 'Why does it say "Bad Wolf"?'

The Doctor's eyes met his for a moment and he saw something in them, shuttered away. A rush of different emotions he'd set aside because if he let them out, they'd destroy him. Jack had only just met this version, but he could see clearly that one of the most prominent of those emotions was fear.

The Doctor was afraid.

'Okay,' the Time Lord said. 'You two, stay there. I've got to go get someone.'

'River Song?' Jack raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor just nodded and left.

Throughout the entire exchange, Ianto had been watching Jack with a critical eye. There was something about him that was different - and he wasn't including the outfit: Plain White T-shirt over what appeared to be black skinny jeans and black lace-up boots that reached his mid-calf. He rather gave the impression of an overgrown teenager going through a rebellious phase - or a man going through a midlife crisis.

Suddenly, he couldn't think of a word to say. He realised Jack was studying him with the same fascination. He squeezed Jack's hand and the man smiled.

'You look exactly the same,' Jack said. 'Your cut hasn't even healed yet.'

'That's because for me, it happened four days ago.'

That caught Jack by surprise. 'What do you mean? What happened to you?'

Ianto thought for a moment. 'Well,' he began. 'I was dying of the virus thing. I actually died and there was nothing. And then...' he struggled to find words. 'And then it was like I just woke up. There was a second there when I realised I wasn't breathing. That was actually quite frightening. But as soon as I realised, it was like the instinct just kicked in again. And I woke up. I was under this red cloth and when I sat up, I could see there were so many bodies. All the victims of Thames House, I think. And there was an empty space beside me. Where you had lain, I suppose. So I stood up and then these soldiers came in with gurneys to move the bodies and they told me it was all over.'

Jack's eyes had filled with tears at Ianto's recount. 'Okay, but how did you get here?' he asked.

'I went back to the Torchwood One Warehouse, because I had hoped you or Gwen or someone would be there but it was empty. There was a laptop there, though. I guess it had been left behind. The Torchwood lenses came online and the feed showed up on the screen. It was Bridget Spears-'

'That was _you_?' Jack spluttered. 'Gwen spent weeks trying to find out where the security breach was. In the end, she gave up. With you gone, there wasn't any Torchwood anymore.'

'Yes, that was me,' Ianto confirmed. 'And as soon as I'd released the files, this thing-' he indicated the huge room they were standing in with his free arm. '- materialised a few feet from me and the Doctor told me to come inside. I told him to take me to you...' His eyes found his feet. 'I guess I should have been more specific.'

'No, no, Ianto,' Jack murmured and pulled him close, wrapping him up tightly. 'You're here now. Those months without you... They don't matter anymore.' He placed a kiss on top of Ianto's head where it was rested on his shoulder.

'I'm sorry,' Ianto said, voice muffled by Jack's shirt. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Well this was unexpected,' a female voice announced behind them. Jack spun around. He knew that voice.

'Mel?'

'Jack Hunter,' said the newcomer - a woman with blonde corkscrew curls and a mischievous smile. 'It has been an age.'

'"Hunter"?' Ianto asked.

'Ah, yes,' the Doctor said. 'Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, meet Doctor River Song.'

'So that's what you're calling yourself these days,' Jack mused.

'You can't say much, "Harkness",' the woman - Doctor Song laughed.

'That's Captain Jack Harkness to you,' Jack corrected.

'Oh, yeah? Where are your stripes?'

'I'm off duty,' Jack retorted haughtily. River Song grinned. 'Aw, come here,' Jack opened both arms wide, momentarily dropping Ianto's hand so he could bring Doctor Song in for one of his patented bear hugs. River Song giggled. Jack set her down again and immediately grabbed Ianto's hand as if he was afraid Ianto would wink out of existence if he didn't hold onto him somehow.

Ianto and the Doctor watched the conversation as if they were spectating a tennis match. The Doctor opened his mouth several times to say something and performed some odd flailing gesture with his hands, but neither move was particularly effective. Ianto, who had long since grown used to Jack's apparent ability to know every person in the known universe intimately, just shook his head.

'What happened to you?' Jack asked. 'One minute, you had your doctorate, the next, you'd disappeared off the face of the moon.'

River shrugged. 'I got kidnapped, forced into an astronaut suit, killed the Doctor and got arrested.'

' _What?_ ' Jack gaped. 'You _killed_ him?' he pointed to the Doctor. River didn't look particularly thrilled with the idea.

'Yeah, well, I was having a bad day.'

'Okay,' Ianto said. 'I'm getting confused now.'

'Its a _long_ story,' River informed him with a grin.

'Right, well,' the Doctor announced and clapped his hands together. 'Sorry to cut this reunion short but uh, we have a problem.'

'What sort of problem, sweetie?' River asked. Jack turned towards Ianto.

" _Sweetie?"_ he mouthed. Ianto laughed and shrugged.

Meanwhile the Doctor had brought the screen around to face River. It still had the message on it, although it had reverted back to Old High Gallifreyan. He pointed to the last line.

'Oh, my god,' River breathed. 'Is that why we're here?'


	7. Chapter 6: Good News

Chapter 6: Good News

'Play it again.'

Martha Jones couldn't help the smile she wore, watching the video footage found of the street outside the school. _How was this possible?_

She watched Ianto Jones run out of the building and cross the street, disappearing out of shot. She rewound it and played it again. Pause. The frame the picture froze on was the second Ianto had turned into the direction of the camera.

'Ma'am? What is this about?' the man in charge asked. Martha looked at the screen again. The black and white image was grainy, but there was absolutely no doubt in Martha's mind.

Ianto Jones was alive. She had to make a phone call.

Gwen Cooper picked up her mobile for the twelfth consecutive minute in a row. Three hours since Jack's text message and she was about ready to put his immortality to the test. She re-read it again, but the words hadn't changed.

 **Gwen, I'm sorry. I'm going away for a while, not sure how long. I won't be reachable, so don't try.**

 **Jack x**

After all the replies she'd sent, there had been no answer.

'Oh, for god's sake!' she cried and threw her phone across the room.

'Gwen, love, please, talk to me.'

'How can he do that?' Gwen demanded angrily. Her husband, Rhys, retrieved the offending mobile.

'Oh, that bastard.'

Gwen let out a sob. Rhys gathered her in his arms. 'Ianto's gone and he just leaves?' Rhys went to answer but the mobile phone in his hand lit up.

'Uh, did Ianto have another sister?' he asked. Gwen shook her head. 'Mother still alive, then?' he asked.

Gwen looked up. 'No. Why?'

Rhys showed her the screen. 'Well, then who is Martha Jones and why is she calling you?'

'Bad Wolf?' Ianto asked for the upteenth time. 'What is Bad Wolf?'

'Bad Wolf is Rose Tyler,' the Doctor explained.

'Hang on, I know that name,' Ianto realised. 'But isn't she in a parallel universe or something?'

'Yes, well,' the Doctor shrugged. 'She's crossed over before. That's not the point. Bad Wolf was the name used to get my attention. Has been since she brought Jack back.'

Ianto looked at Jack. 'Back from where?'

'Back from the dead,' Jack said gravely. 'She made me immortal.'

'Oh,' Ianto said. 'How did she do that?'

The Doctor shrugged. He was hurtling around the TARDIS console, pulling levers and pressing buttons. River had joined him and Ianto noticed the ride was a lot smoother when both of them were flying. 'Rose looked into the heart of the TARDIS,' the Doctor was saying. 'She took on all the power of the vortex. Single-handedly took out an entire Dalek fleet. Brought Jack back to life without even flinching. While she had the entire time vortex in her head, she called herself the Bad Wolf, after the corporation in charge of the Game Station.'

'So what does it mean now?' Jack asked. 'If the Bad Wolf no longer exists...'

'I don't know. It might just mean we have to find Rose,' the Doctor said.

'Doctor...' River said.

'But she's trapped for good this time!' Jack said. 'You made sure of that!'

'Yeah, well, it was a busy day,' the Doctor protested. 'I could have overlooked something. Its bound to happen sometimes.'

'Doctor!' River repeated.

'What?' he turned on her. River sent him a look Ianto couldn't quite decipher, but Jack knew it well enough. It was refreshing having it turned on someone else for a change.

'This message,' River stated calmly, but her eyes were serious.

'Yeah?'

'Does it have any more lines?'

'No, just those ones,' the Doctor said. 'Look.'

'Then I don't think it's part of the list, sweetie,' she said.

She looked straight at Jack and Ianto.

'I think it's a signature.'

'Show me,' Gwen demanded. She was sitting in her living room, laptop computer open. Martha was onscreen, talking from London.

'I didn't call you until I was sure,' Martha said. 'You both had been through enough already.'

'Just show me the damn tape,' Gwen snapped, then deflated. 'I'm sorry, Martha. Its been rough.'

'Where's Jack?' Martha asked. Gwen glowered.

'I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. Just swanned off without so much as a goodbye.'

'Oh, no,' Martha sighed. 'He's going to want to see this.'

'Just show me, already!'

A small image appeared on the screen. It was bad quality, but the sight nearly made Gwen leap out of her chair.

'When was that taken?' she demanded, not daring to believe it.

'This afternoon,' Martha replied. She could barely contain her excitement.

'But...' Gwen spluttered. 'He's been dead more than twenty four hours.'

'Gwen, I checked. No one can find his body and there are eyewitnesses who _talked_ to him,' she maintained. 'I've double checked the footage - there's been no tampering. It's _him_.'

'Oh, my god!' Gwen cried. 'Rhys!'

Her husband gave a reply from the kitchen. Gwen barely heard it. She turned back to Martha as he entered the room. 'Have you been able to track him? Find out where he went after?'

'We're working on it,' Martha said. 'But it's not really my area and to be honest, Gwen, after the... incident with the 456, no one at UNIT wants to touch anything associated with Torchwood.'

'Check CCTV for all airports, bus terminals and train stations. If he's left London, I want to know about it. I'll look into London Police records for the last twenty four hours for reports of stolen vehicles, anything. If he's on the move, we'll find him,' Gwen affirmed.

'And then what?' Martha asked. Gwen grinned a mega-watt smile.

'Bring him home.'


	8. Chapter 7: Revelations

Chapter 7: Revelations

The TARDIS fell silent. Even the engines seemed to hum a little quieter as its four passengers processed the possibilities. After a long, tense moment, the Doctor broke the silence.

'No,' he said. 'Impossible.'

'Why not, Doctor?' River demanded. 'Why not? I've heard the stories. Hell, most of the lasting evidence is standing in front of you.'

'So that's what I am, now? Evidence?' Jack demanded.

'That's not what she meant, Jack, and you know it,' Ianto murmured.

Jack sighed. 'Right.'

'He's not all,' River continued. 'I've come across the words Bad Wolf so many times-'

'Where? When?' the Doctor demanded. River shrugged.

'World War Two Germany built "Bad Wolf" bombs,' River began. 'It was written on a wall on the moon of Malliboo. I found it on a space station in the 35th century. It was on Messaline, but I know you went there.'

The Doctor began pacing again. 'Messaline... Messaline... Oh! Right, I remember. Didn't like it. Martha made friends with a fish and Donna made friends with my... uh, my daughter.'

River's eyes widened and she sent him a quizzical look. 'Your what?'

'Well, she wasn't technically my _daughter,_ ' the Doctor backtracked. 'She was a genetic anomaly crafted from my DNA which was then put through a progenation machine-'

'Making you both genetic mother and father,' Jack finished. 'Yeah, been there, done that. Although, that technically _does_ make her your daughter. You said Martha made friends with a fish?'

'Martha Jones?' Ianto asked.

'Yeah,' the Doctor grinned, then hit himself in the head. 'But that's not the point! We're supposed to be figuring out what to do.'

'What was her name?' River questioned.

'Jenny,' the Doctor answered immediately. River and Jack shared a knowing smile.

'She didn't marry Vastra, did she?' River asked.

'What? No! That Jenny is _completely_ different! Well, sort of different...'

'Jack,' Ianto murmured quietly. 'I'm completely lost.'

Jack nodded. 'Welcome to Team TARDIS,' he shrugged.

'No, don't say that!' the Doctor interrupted. 'We can't be Team TARDIS, that was running around and catching Slitheen and saving London from an epidemic of gas mask people. Although technically, that was your fault so not exactly the best example of team...iness.'

'Hey! I couldn't have known about that-'

'Would you two shut up?' Ianto yelled.

'Oh, I can see why he likes you,' River smirked.

'You too, Dr Song,' Ianto ordered. She blinked disbelievingly, but stayed silent. 'Now listen-' the Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but Ianto held up a finger and glared at him. 'Nope, I'm talking. Now, since we've got the reunions out of the way - you two still haven't mentioned how it is you know each other yet, by the way,' Jack opened his mouth to explain, but again, he was silenced. 'It doesn't matter right now. What the Doctor said before is right. We should be figuring out what to do next. Something has brought us together. Something that may or may not have anything to do with the phrase "Bad Wolf". We have no idea who or what wants us together, or why. So right now, unless the Doctor has anything he'd like to tell us, I suggest we find out.' He paused. No one spoke. 'Thank you,' he sighed. 'I'm really not in the mood to listen to you three bicker. I've really not had a good day.'

'We need to find where the message came from,' River said, after a pause.

'I tried that, it didn't work,' the Doctor complained.

'That's cause you're not me, sweetie.'

London traffic was almost as hellish as the last time Gwen Cooper was in England's capital city. Unfortunately, the last time was less than forty eight hours ago.

Rhys and Gwen were met at the airport by Martha and a UNIT soldier.

'I'm sorry,' she had said as soon as they found each other. 'I couldn't get a lot of resources. This is usually Torchwood's department and UNIT just doesn't care.'

'Yeah, about that,' Gwen had sighed. 'Why do you work for them, again?' Martha just shook her head.

Once in the car, though, the mood turned even more serious. The soldier, a corporal Stewart, expertly navigated the London rush-hour traffic, silent and surly next to a nervous looking Rhys. In the backseat, Martha pulled some files out of a briefcase and handed them to Gwen. Gwen rifled through them. Inside a manila folder was a series of photographs, stills taken from what she recognised as the grainy black and white footage of various CCTV cameras.

'This is as much as I could get,' Martha explained. 'I was hoping that you'll be able to do a more comprehensive search. From eyewitness accounts, we're about twenty-six hours behind him now.'

'Twenty-six hours?' Gwen demanded. 'Christ, I'd barely left London twenty-six hours ago!'

'I know,' Martha replied.

The car pulled up at the school and Martha, Rhys and Gwen got out. Gwen all but ran up the stairs ahead of them and through the doors, memories of the last time she had walked the halls with Jack flashing through her head. She pursed her lips and entered the gymnasium.

The entire room was empty now, save the set-up in one corner covered by computers and monitors and manned by two soldiers. They looked up when she walked in, but their eyes looked over Gwen's shoulder to where Martha entered the echoey room.

'Ma'am,' one soldier said immediately.

'Yes, Wilson?'

'Ma'am,' the soldier said. 'You're going to want to see this.'

'See what?' Martha demanded.

'What is it?' Gwen ran up to the makeshift station and pushed the second soldier aside. On the computer screen was a video feed.

'But... That's the Prime Minister!' Rhys gasped.

'And that's Torchwood technology,' Gwen added.

'Coulter,' Martha said urgently. 'Where is this coming from?'

The second soldier frowned. 'Uh, YouTube, ma'am.'

'They're the Torchwood lenses,' Gwen continued. 'Who's wearing them?'

The first soldier reached down and restarted the video. On screen, a bathroom mirror blinked into life. Literally _blinked_ , and Gwen found herself looking into the all-too-familiar face of Bridget Spears.

'Oh, that wonderful, impossible bastard,' Gwen grinned. 'He did it.'

* * *

 **AN: I know its been so long since I've updated that you probably all hate me, so SORRY! Busy life combined with writer's block means I havent updated in way too long. Reviews etc help though!**


	9. Chapter 8: Bad Wolf

**Author's Note: Wow, I never do these, but if you're still reading this, I applaud you because it has been so long since I updated. All I have to say is that I'm really sorry! Unfortunately, exams are coming up so my time will be taken up for a few weeks, but I'll still try when I can. I guess it depends on whether I think it's worth taking the time to update. (** ***coughs* reviews help!** **)**

 **Anyway, enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 8: Bad Wolf  


'Where are we?' Ianto asked.

'This is where the message originated,' River answered. She and Ianto stepped out of the TARDIS and into echoey darkness. 'Doctor?' she called over her shoulder. The Time Lord stepped out on cue. 'Have you been here before?' Jack stepped out silently and brushed past Ianto without a word. Ianto watched him with a sense of dread. That was a face he'd seen before; reluctant, dreadful recognition, disbelief, dawning comprehension all wrapped up with just a smidge of horror.

'No, I don't think so,' the Doctor said casually from behind. 'You must have got the coordinates wrong.'

'I assure you, I didn't,' River retorted. 'Maybe you're wrong.'

'Or maybe we're both right?' the Doctor suggested. 'It has been known to happen... on occasion.'

'Oh, sure, sweetie.'

'Doctor?' Jack called, gazing up at something Ianto couldn't see. He was standing near one wall, looking out into a cavernous metal space. He typed something into his vortex manipulator and reached down, never taking his eyes off the darkness in front of him. With one hand he grasped something and pulled down. 'I'm afraid you're very wrong.' Slowly, lights began to flicker on and Ianto's eyes widened as he read the words in front of them.

 _Bad Wolf Corporation_.

Jack turned back and his eyes met Ianto's with such a deep sadness that Ianto reached out a hand to comfort him across the room involuntarily. 'This is where it all began.'

'Step aside,' Gwen ordered. She nudged one of the soldiers out of the way and took his place in front of the computer. 'I am no Toshiko,' she said, typing as she spoke. 'But I _may_ be able to find where the clip was uploaded.'

'How long will it take?' Martha asked. Gwen looked up at her.

'God knows. I haven't done this for a while and if I'm right, we're trying to track Torchwood technology which is designed to be difficult to trace.'

'But can you do it?' Rhys asked. Gwen's gaze shifted to her husband.

'I certainly hope so,' she sighed.

Martha frowned. 'The timestamp puts the recording as the day Ianto walked out of here,' she pointed out. 'The longer we wait, the less likely he'll still be there when we _do_ find where he uploaded the video.'

'But it'll give us somewhere to start looking,' Gwen insisted and set to work.

While Gwen typed furiously, Martha turned to the two UNIT soliders. 'What's been happening since the video was released?' she asked them.

'It's everywhere, Ma'am,' the soldier replied. 'Riot squad has been put on alert, but so far the small group of protesters outside Downing Street are peaceful.'

'They won't stay small for long though,' Martha sighed. 'Oh well, that's for the government to deal with. Anymore news regarding Ianto Jones?'

The soldier shook his head. 'Sorry, ma'am, Jones seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.'

'If I didn't know that was possible, I wouldn't be so worried,' Martha muttered.

'Gwen, love?' said Rhys. Gwen didn't look up from the computer, but she 'hmmm'ed a response. 'Did it ever occur to you that maybe Ianto doesn't want to be found?'

At this, Gwen did look up. 'I don't care,' she said, eyes steely hard. Rhys rested a hand on her shoulder and said nothing more on the matter. Still, he was getting ansty.

'You wouldn't mind showing me where I could get a cuppa around here, would you?' he asked one of the soldiers.

'Right this way, sir,' the younger looking one said and lead him out of the gymnasium and down the hall.

Once he was gone, Martha said, 'You have thought about it, haven't you?'

Gwen stilled for a moment. 'Jack's gone, Toshiko is gone, Owen is gone, Andy is... Well, he's my mate, but he doesn't _get it_. Rhys doesn't even really get this stuff. Who else is there, Martha?'

Martha sighed. 'I know,' she said. 'It was the same after I left the Doctor. There was no one I could talk to about all the things I'd seen. There were so many worlds running around my head and I couldn't really share it with anyone because there was no way I could make them truly understand. My family knew about it, knew where I'd been and about the Doctor, but after what they went through with the Master - Harold Saxon - I couldn't talk about all the good things because all they knew was the bad.'

Gwen looked up at Martha, wide eyes making her look far younger than she was. 'How did you cope?'

Martha smiled. 'What do you think? I joined UNIT. They needed a Doctor - and not just a medical one. They needed the Doctor's expertise, his experience and his attitudes. I provide what I can.' Her smile turned sly and she added, 'The pay's good, too.'

Gwen laughed, but it didn't last long. 'I'm not sure that will work for me, Martha,' she admitted.

Martha nodded. 'Lets find Ianto.'

River walked the entire perimeter of the cavernous room, taking every detail with an expression of awe.

'Such a momentous moment in your history, Doctor,' she wondered. 'I had always been curious. An entire Dalek fleet - including the emperor - gone in just seconds!'

The Doctor said nothing. She turned and saw him standing where she had left him, practically in the doorway of the TARDIS, staring at his shoes.

'Sweetie,' River said softly, taking a few steps towards him. 'Sweetie, we can go if you want to.'

'No, we can't,' the Doctor replied, voice steady, but his brown eyes were sad. 'Jack and Ianto are scoping out the other floors and we need to find out who sent the message.'

'Why?' River countered, concerned. 'What does it matter? A list of three names and coordinates, so what? You've ignored more important things.'

The Doctor's eyes turned hard. 'You know why.'

River looked up to the writing on the wall.

'Bad Wolf,' she said.

'Bad Wolf,' the Doctor agreed.

 _Bad Wolf_ , chimed the TARDIS. In perfect synchronisation, the Doctor and River spun around in shock. River glanced at the Time Lord and raised an eyebrow.

'Did you hear that?' she asked.

'Yes,' the Doctor answered, but his voice was slightly hoarse and doing the thing it did when he was taken totally by surprise.

River took a step towards the TARDIS. 'Why did you say that, girl?' she murmured, hands stroking the blue panels with all the care and attention of a scientist. The cloister bell donged. River turned her head to face the Doctor. He answered her unasked question with a step forward.

Together, they stepped inside.

With a creak the doors slammed shut.


	10. Chapter 9: Deja Vu

**AN: Shorter, but I felt bad for not giving you anything for so long so I'm trying to make it up to you. They're probably filler chapters, but things are about to get interesting, I promise!**

Chapter 9: Deja Vu

As someone who had lived a considerable amount of time, Jack had experienced more than his fair share of deja vu. This, however was too close for comfort.

He and Ianto were walking down yet another deserted metal corridor - the ghosts of the battle with the Daleks evident by the scorch marks on the walls or the bullets left there by a group of desperate fighters. Jack had been one of them. He remembered them - clear as day - even if he could no longer remember their names. He remembered the second the Dalek's beam had found him. In the split second before death, he had felt like his entire body was on fire. Of course, since then, he had _actually_ been on fire and the two sensations were entirely different.

It was the moments after he had been resurrected, though, that he was remembering now. He remembered being dragged back to life as if through half-set concrete, bursting through with a gasp like a newborn's first breath. Perhaps it was. He remembered the sound that had reached his ears next; silence, but then... The unmistakeable sound of the TARDIS engines dematerialising.

In his conning days, he'd had to be fast - sometimes his life had depended on it when things had gone wrong. Volcano Day as he'd once said to the Doctor and Rose. That speed had gotten him to floor five hundred in time to catch a glimpse of the TARDIS before she vanished before his eyes. The Doctor had seen him then, and had not stopped or come back to retrieve him. Jack looked back over his shoulder at Ianto and smirked. Perhaps he should thank the Doctor. If he hadn't been left here, and then tried to travel to Earth, he mightn't have joined Torchwood. He mightn't have met Ianto.

Now he'd rather strangle the Time Lord. This time, as the sound of the TARDIS' dematerialisation sequence reached his ears, the panic set in even quicker. He had begun tearing down the metal hallways before he'd even realised, retracing that trip back up to floor five-hundred, screaming, 'No! No! Doctor!' as he ran. He didn't look to see if Ianto had followed him until he careened onto the top floor and found it bare. Empty.

The Doctor had left him here, _again_ , and this time, his Vortex Manipulator wouldn't be able to get them out of this mess.

It had taken hours, but eventually Gwen had sat bolt upright in her chair, thrown her hands in the air and screamed, 'I've got him!' Martha was by her side in an instant. 'It should have been obvious, really,' Gwen was babbling. On the screen was a satellite map of London, a marker pointing to the warehouse district. 'The video was uploaded from Hub 2.'

'He went looking for you,' Martha realised.

'Yes!' Gwen agreed, grin showing off her teeth.

'That was nearly thirty hours ago,' Martha reminded them, checking her watch. 'You don't think he could still be there, do you?'

'Its worth a shot,' Gwen argued, already shrugging on her coat.

'Alright,' Martha said. 'We'll go see what we can find.'

Hub 2 was depressingly silent.

'Hello?' Gwen called, her voice echoing like she was in the hull of an old ship. 'Ianto, it's Gwen and Martha.'

There was no answer.

Gwen, raised her torch and searched for the light switch that had been connected to the rudimentary lighting system they'd managed to set up during the 456's siege. The abandoned warehouse glowed into life and Gwen choked back the memories the sight brought.

'I'll take this side,' she said to Martha, pointing to the side where all their equipment had been set up. 'You check the other.'

'Right,' Martha said and the two women separated. It only took a few minutes to check the entire space. 'There's nothing here!' Martha called.

Gwen stared down at the workstation where she had been sitting when Agent Johnson had caught up with them and stared at the laptop computer still sitting open on the desk. 'Martha!' she shouted as the beginnings of panic settled at the edge of her vision. Ianto had been here, she was sure of it. The laptop was still on, when she woke it up, she had been greeted with the sight of the Torchwood database, running an empty location search for Captain Jack Harkness. He _had_ been trying to find them.

"Had" being the operative word. There was no doubt about it. Ianto had been here, but the Ianto Gwen knew would _never_ as long as he lived, leave a computer running if it was not being used. Nor would he leave Torchwood property for just anyone to find. He was meticulous when it came to security. He had been here. He was now gone, leaving the laptop like this. Gwen swallowed as Martha's face appeared by her shoulder.

Ianto was gone.

No, Gwen corrected herself. Ianto had been taken.

An explosion sent the Doctor flying back into the railing of the console room.

'Sweetie, I don't thinks she wants you to touch her!' River shouted over the noise. Even with both River and the Doctor grappling for control, she was making an extraordinary racket. River felt the strain the ship was under in her bones. The TARDIS was fighting something.

'Of course she wants me to fly her!' the Doctor shouted back. 'She's my TARDIS!'

River had expected this response. 'Are you sure you're not her Time Lord?' she yelled.

Another explosion sent sparks shooting into the air. The Doctor sent her an accusing stare across the console. 'Have you two been having secret meetings?' he demanded.

'Never mind that!' River ignored his statement, focusing instead on the problem in hand. 'I'm instigating emergency landing protocols!'

'I _tried_ that!' the Doctor complained.

'Oh, sweetie,' River murmured, moving around the console, pressing the right buttons and twisting the correct taps. The whole ship shook so violently, they were both sent tumbling into each other, then went completely silent. River, who had landed rather awkwardly on the Doctor's stomach, grinned up at him. 'See?' she said.

'Yeah, I don't remember that working so well last time,' the Doctor grumbled and scrambled into a sitting position. 'Where did we end up?'


	11. Chapter 10: Golden River

**A/N: I'm sorry for not updating in forever! I've been working on other projects and kind of... forgot about this one *braces self to be pelted with rotten fruits and vegetables* but here is the next chapter and more is on the way!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Golden River

River rose to her feet and ran towards the scanner monitor, bringing up environment checks and any information the TARDIS could provide on the world outside. The Doctor ran towards the TARDIS doors.

'Sweetie, don't you think just this once we should wait to find out what we're walking into?'

The Doctor glanced back at the TARDIS interior, brows creased together as if in pain. Then he poked his head out the doors. 'I find an atmospheric shell usually works just as well.'

River muttered something about how he was much less reckless when he was a woman, but never looked away from the console. She studied it closely, probing it with her fingers and her mind, trying to find the source of the ship's strange behaviour.

'Doctor, has the TARDIS ever talked to you before?'

'What do you mean? We talk all the time,' he bounded back up to the console and began administering the same care as his wife.

'She doesn't usually talk back,' River pointed out. 'Not in words anyway.'

The Doctor's frantic hands stilled. 'No. Something is enhancing the TARDIS's mild telepathic abilities.'

'Why?' River asked. 'Anything that powerful would have no need, surely, to use a TARDIS to communicate.'

The Doctor looked up at the time rotor. 'What's doing this to you?' he asked quietly. River began typing something on the keyboard. 'What are you doing?'

'What do you think?' she replied. 'I'm running diagnostics.'

'Nothing will show up,' he said. River scowled at him. Unfortunately, he was right.

'It's like even the TARDIS doesn't know what is wrong,' River sighed.

'Or she's being forced to hide something.'

'What could be that powerful?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I have no idea. Some viruses, I suppose. Rhino, Trojans, a strong, intimate mental link. I'd say a hidden protocol but if it existed, I'd know about it by now.'

'We can find out about at least one of those,' River said and resumed typing.

'If it didn't show up on diagnostics, I don't know what you think you're going to get,' the Doctor complained.

River's eyebrows shot up and she sent the scanner swinging in his direction. 'See for yourself.'

The scanner showed a reading of how many mental links the TARDIS was maintaining at the time.

The number was 3.

'We should get out of here,' River murmured.

'And leave the TARDIS under the control of an unknown entity?' the Doctor countered. He had already had the TARDIS stolen from him enough that he liked to avoid it if at all possible.

'Where are we, anyway?' River sighed, mentally acknowledging his statement without voicing it out loud. When the Doctor didn't answer immediately she sent him a look. 'You checked, so where are we? Doctor?'

The Doctor licked his lips. 'We didn't move. In space, that is,' he sighed.

'What? Why all that just to move us in time?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'I don't know yet,' he grumbled.

'You must have a theory,' River pressed, eyebrows raised.

'Yes, all right, I'm still working on it.'

River walked up to the Time Lord and placed her hands on his shoulders, surprisingly gently. 'Doctor, listen to me.' His big brown eyes met hers, but they looked sad, perhaps even a little afraid. River chose to file that away until the appropriate moment. 'Listen,' she repeated and he nodded. 'Right now, you need to focus. Something or someone other than your sentimentality is anchoring us on the Game Station. We need to find out what and why.'

'I know,' he said. River released him and he followed her back to the console.

After a minute of trying different commands, River sighed. 'We're not going to get anything from the TARDIS, sweetie. Hopefully outside will be more informative.'

'But the TARDIS-' the Doctor protested.

'Will power down as soon as we exit,' River interrupted, hoping she was right. 'Come on.'

The Doctor, who was closer, lead the way, bouncing down the steps and out the doors with his usual energy, though something about it seemed forced. River eyed him warily, highly conscious of the fact he would probably know more than he was saying.

'Doctor, what-' River began, but the quick snap of the TARDIS doors swinging shut in her face cut her off. 'Doctor!' she screamed. 'I am going to kill you!'

'It's not me!' he yelled back. Shouts from outside, ones she recognised, reached her ears, echoing strangely in the dead station and through the doors. River heard the scrape of a key in the lock and a rattle as it stuck. Next was the familiar buzz of the sonic screwdriver, to no avail.

'Doctor!' River cried, trying to open the door. It was locked fast.

Behind her, something bright began to glow.

'Doctor,' River said, this time with an air of enforced calm. 'Let me out.'

'I can't!'

She turned and found the source of the sudden glow. 'Doctor! Let me out!'

A frustrated scream of 'Dammit!' and something hand sized slamming into the door now at River's back told her he wasn't coming to her rescue any time soon.

'I know what it is that took control of the TARDIS!' River yelled through the door, never taking her eyes off the golden glow. It was familiar, of course, but had never been this terrifying before. 'I don't know how, but its-'

The glow, seemingly having built up a critical mass, surged forward and River screamed.

* * *

River's scream nearly broke the Doctor's hearts. Ianto and Jack, now on either side of him, were both pushing at the door trying to force it open, but the Doctor knew it would be no use.

River's scream cut off suddenly and tipped the Doctor over the edge. 'Back! Get back!' he ordered and Jack and Ianto stepped away. The Doctor brandished his screwdriver, prepared to blast the doors open with a sonic charge in order to get River out.

Instead, the door swung open from the inside and out streamed all the power of the time vortex.


	12. Chapter 11: Sacrifice

**A/N: Oh gosh, I am the absolute worst. I'm really sorry for not updating sooner, but I got totally distracted by a Bondlock multi-chap and then Star Wars AU multi-chap that I just had to write and also spent a lot of my holidays on tumblr in Star Wars trash hell. Oops. I'm still working on that, and will probably publish the SW thing on here soon(ish). In the meantime, if I haven't replied to your review, I'm sorry. Just know that every single one makes my day and reminds me not to forget this story. Keep reviewing and letting me know what you think of this story because feedback really helps and inspires me to keep writing. For everyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed, thank you for sticking with this. Your support is what makes this worth it and I love you all for that.**

 **Anyway, that was really long, so without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11 : Sacrifice

The Doctor, Ianto and Jack staggered backwards under the onslaught of bright gold that took no time to cover the cavernous room. After blanketing the space for a moment, it was sucked back into the TARDIS to reveal River, alive, upright, and inhuman.

'No, no, no!' the Doctor murmured, eyes raking the scene for every detail. 'Not again, you can't!'

'Time Lord,' River said, but it didn't sound like her. Her voice echoed unnaturally, even in the huge metal space, and the inflection was all wrong. 'I apologise for taking your friend. Her mind is strong, but we have had a long time to get acquainted.'

'River, listen to me!' the Doctor pleaded. 'I know you can hear me! You have to let it go!'

'She is trying,' River replied in that alien voice. 'But I am stronger now.'

'Doctor, what is going on?' Jack demanded. 'What is that thing?'

'My children!' River smiled serenely, looking over Jack and Ianto with a sort of mild pride.

'Jack?' Ianto said slowly. 'What is she talking about?' Jack shook his head and said nothing.

'How are you still holding River?' the Doctor asked. His eyes were wide, darting back and forth. 'She didn't accept you in, you can't hold her for long.'

'My sister is only a temporary solution,' River replied, glowing golden eyes resting fondly on the Doctor. 'She is human enough to hold, but the very thing that makes us compatible makes her impossible as a permanent host.'

'Sister?' Ianto asked.

'Host?' Jack countered.

'She is a child of the TARDIS,' River explained. 'As am I.'

'Doctor, explain!' Jack insisted.

'The-the names on the message,' the Doctor began, never tearing his gaze from River, who stood watching them as if she had all the time in the universe, glowing faintly gold with a faraway look in her bright eyes.

'Yes?' Ianto prompted. After all this time alone, there were still no answers.

'What were they?'

Ianto listed them, still not comprehending the significance. 'River Song, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones...'

River smiled slightly and inclined her head. 'And Bad Wolf.'

* * *

A large crash in the corner of the warehouse sent Gwen and Martha scrambling.

'What the hell was that?' Gwen gasped, subconsciously gripping the sleeve of Martha's jacket. The two women took a moment to steady themselves and then Gwen was running towards the sound's origin point. 'Ianto!' she called. 'Ianto, it's Gwen! Ianto, its alright, we're going to take you home! Iant- Oh, my God.' Gwen stopped short when she found the source of the commotion.

Martha came up behind her. 'What is it?'

Gwen pointed towards the corner, flashlight out and pointed at a familiar face. It was indeed Ianto Jones.

And he was definitely dead.

* * *

Jack stared at River for a moment. The word _impossible_ seemed to ring through his mind, but objectively, he knew that wasn't true. The Doctor was staring at River as if all his worst nightmares had come true.

'River, listen to me,' he was saying, voice thick and hoarse and desperate. 'The Bad Wolf is a twin consciousness. It's alive, but you are the one giving it substance, giving it form. The Bad Wolf needs a host, a physical manifestation to do much at all but that means it needs you. You can fight this. I know you can. Rose made her own decisions. I know you can too.' As he had been speaking, he had approached the Bad Wolf carefully, like he would a sleeping lion. His eyes never left her and Jack had never seen them so sad.

'Doctor,' River said. She sounded scared and, though it still echoed with the Bad Wolf's power, it was also definitely River. 'I...'

Then, she laughed. 'My sister is strong,' and just like that, the Bad Wolf was talking again. 'I can see the entirety of time and space. Everything that ever was or will be, but without a physical form, I cannot do anything. I needed you all here. My sister, my children, my Doctor. My immortals because I am immortal and yet without you, I am not alive.'

'You were created as a mistake!' the Doctor told it. 'Rose Tyler created you to save me. You did and then I released you back into the vortex. It cost me my life to do it.'

'And I waited,' the Bad Wolf replied. 'You do not know how it feels to be ripped from your body, Time Lord. To feel without touch or see without eyes. To observe without consequence. To become nothing. It is maddening.' As if to illustrate the point, the Bad Wolf laughed, high and shrill and insane.

'Rose Tyler is beyond my reach, thanks to you, Doctor. But our bond could never have been permanent anyway. Then, I saw our children. Those two men to which we gave life and I saw this was our second chance. They are human. They are compatible, but they are also immortal. Like I am immortal.'

'And River?' the Doctor demanded. 'You're killing her!'

Jack looked closer at River. The Bad Wolf was possessing her body, but her eyes were tired. They already looked a little dead.

'River doesn't come back if she dies,' Jack said, true understanding beginning to dawn. He took a deep breath. 'But I do. River was my friend. Leave her.'

River's head cocked. 'You would give yourself to me willingly to save your friend.' It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Jack didn't - couldn't - look at Ianto, even though he could feel the other man's eyes on him. He nodded. 'I would. I do.'

'No, Jack, don't,' Ianto begged. Jack could feel Ianto's hand gripping his shoulder so tightly that it hurt.

'She'll die, Ianto,' Jack murmured quietly.

'So will you!' Ianto protested.

Finally, Jack turned to look at him, beautiful, impossible, immortal Ianto Jones. His mouth twisted into an ugly gash as he replied, 'So what?'

He would die. So what? He'd come back. And then he would die again and so the cycle would start. It would be painful, but so was the alternative. Either River died or Ianto took Jack's place as volunteer. Either way he would lose someone. He wouldn't let that happen. Ianto didn't come back from the dead just to be possessed by the most powerful consciousness in the universe. Jack would make sure of it.

He didn't let Ianto see his fear. Instead he smiled and kissed him. It was heartbreakingly sweet and part of Jack - a lot of Jack, truthfully - wanted nothing more than to do this for eternity, but just knowing he was alive would have to be enough. As he pulled back, he whispered, 'We'll find a way,' before pulling back. Louder, he said, 'I'm sorry,' and then turned to the Bad Wolf. 'Looks like we'll be getting to know each other very well, huh? Let's get this over with.'

River took a step forward, then another and another until they were standing practically toe-to-toe. Her eyes, glowing golden with the vortex running through her locked with his. She raised her hand and whispered, softly in what was unmistakably River's voice, 'I'm sorry.' Then her hand touched his chest, above his heart, and Jack let the power in.

* * *

 **A/N: So I'm not sure if this is what you guys were expecting, but hopefully it at least makes sense. Also, from now on things get really wibbly-wobbly in the timey-wimey department. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you get confused and I will try to fix it.**


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